Friday, March 26, 2004

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED UPDATE

The Justice League animated series is going to get bigger very quickly. Before the opening theme of the season opener of Justice League Unlimited, viewers will be treated to more than 60 heroes.

"We've got a heckuva lot more characters, pretty much a full roster of DC heroes," director Joaquim Dos Santos told The Continuum last weekend at Wizard World Los Angeles. "It's pretty much going to be bigger and badder. It's going to be huge.

"The opening teaser a huge shot of the interior of the Watchtower and it's literally just packed with every character you can imagine. I know it's going to be a pause-fest going on, where people are picking out heroes."

Dos Santos, who shares directing duties with Dan Riba, said he's already worked on five episodes for the upcoming seaosn.

While he can't reveal too many details, he did tell The Continuum how the new season will work.

"They've done away with the two-part format. It's just 30-minute episodes," he said. "The way it works out there's a core group, and they'll take a team of two or three other heroes on an adventure with them. There's basically a team leader and then the new guys on the team, the rookies.

"Other than that, there's no real format. It can kind of go anyway in wants."

Dos Santos directed the season opener, "Initiation." He said that Green Arrow figures prominently in the episode and that Supergirl and Captain Atom also play key roles.

"From the get-go, there's huge consequences," he said. "People will be taken out of the game. Stuff will matter. When a character's injured, he's injured. He's out for a while."

What was his reaction when he heard about the new approach to the series?

"I flipped out," he said. "I didn't think they were able to pull it off. Just logistically for a production coordinator to handle 60 characters from the get-go, it's a huge undertaking.

"Not should it be more fun for the viewers, but for us, too. I think it keeps it interesting because we're not just handling the same characters every episode. For us it's fun ... one show will be Captain Atom with Supergirl and Green Atom and another show will be Superman with Hawk or whomever."

Dos Santos said to look for a new Watchtower and Javelin. The director also said all systems are go for an August launch of Justice League Unlimited. "We just got some early footage back and it's looking really nice," he said.

Look for much more on Justice League Unlimited soon here in The Continuum.

DARK HORSE COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four page previews of Dark Horse Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

SPIDER-MAN 2 MOVIE UPDATE

Tobey Maguire, star of Spider-Man 2, said that the sequel is shaping up to be better than the first film.

"It's a better script from the start," Maguire told E! News Daily. "I liked the first one, but I think this one's better."

Said Kirsten Dunst, who is returning as Mary Jane: "There's just so much more emotionally we can do. Everything has improved because of the success of the first one. It's a better story, just more intricate."

Excerpts from the new trailer hit the entertainment shows on Thursday night.

The new trailer was shown at ShoWest in Las Vegas, and count Maguire among those impressed.

"This is only the second time I've seen this stuff and it's unbelievable to me," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I still get chills."

* For The Continuum's coverage of the last weekend's Spider-Man 2 panel at Wizard World Los Angeles, featuring Avi Arad and James Franco, CLICK HERE.

RENA OWEN TALKS THE CROW

Rena Owen, who plays a supporting role in The Crow: Wicked Prayer, told The Continuum that the film appears to be in good shape.

"I just talked to the director (Lance Mungia) last week, and he's really happy with it," Owen told The Continuum at last weekend's Wizard World Los Angeles.

The Crow: Wicked Prayer stars Edward Furlong in the lead role. The cast also includes David Boreanaz, Tara Reid and Dennis Hopper. The film was shot in Salt Lake City, Utah last summer.

Owen plays Mary, the wife of a preacher who is killed by the gangleader played by Boreanaz. Owen worked with Boreanaz before, guest-starring on Angel.

"Eddie's great and I think David is the epitome of a leading man," Owen said of her castmates.

Owen said she thought the first Crow movie was ground-breaking.

"It blew me away, kind of like the first Star Wars," she said. "Back then, it was really cutting-edge stuff."

There have been reports that Wicked Prayer might be a direct-to-video release, but Owen said she hasn't heard when or where the film will come out.

"I don't know," she said. "I just can't wait to see it."

IDW'S JOHN LAW

Will Eisner has contracted award-winning writer/artist Gary Chaloner to develop all-new adventures featuring the pipe-smoking, one-eyed Crossroads cop. These stories, the first original John Law adventures since Eisner worked on the character in 1948, will be available in print from IDW Publishing in June.

"The launching of the John Law series by Gary Chaloner represents a very important episode in my career," Eisner said. "After all, it is most unusual for a character created so long ago to be given new life in the hands of someone so able as Gary."

As well as Law, classic Eisner creations Lady Luck, Mr Mystic and Nubbin the Shoe Shine Boy feature in these all-new adventures.

What can readers expect from the new John Law?

"Well, we've started from scratch really, building the main characters, supporting cast and the city of Crossroads from the ground up, using the basics established by Will back in the '40s. I've introduced quite a few new characters for the series as well," Chaloner said.

"The earlier stories Will produced featuring Law were eventually used as Spirit stories, so the characters have a muddy past that needed to be cleaned up. Will was quite adamant that he wanted the character moved away from any resemblance to Denny Colt and The Spirit series.

"The new stories do have familiar elements: corrupt cops, gangsters, sexy femme fatales and movie stars, corrupt winners and desperate losers... but mainly the series is about friendship and the things one man has to do to survive and stay true to himself in a dishonest town. Hopefully the mix will make for entertaining and human stories with a few surprises thrown in from left field."

The IDW edition will have more than a hundred pages of new material and will also include 25 pages of classic John Law tales by Will Eisner himself. These stories have been re-toned by Chaloner to capture the full noir-stylings of Eisner.

John Law: Dead Man Walking is a 128-page, black and white trade paperback with a cover price of $19.99.

CHARLIE ADLARD ON THE WALKING DEAD

Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead will
launch its second story arc in April with veteran artist Charlie Adlard taking the reins from the departing Tony Moore. In addition to Adlard handling the pencils and inks, Cliff Rathburn will be applying gray tones to the book.

The Walking Dead # 7, from Image Comics, will feature both Adlard's debut, and the debut of a new story arc, following the first trade
paperback, The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone By.

"I've been a fan of Charlie Adlard for a long time." Kirkman said.
"His work on White Death, Astronauts in Trouble, Nobody and the
billions of other things he's done is just superb. I couldn't be
happier that he's taking over the book. Charlie brings a level of
professionalism to every project he comes to. The confidence seen on
every page is a sight to behold."

The book centers around the experiences of human survivors in a
zombie filled post-apocalyptic Atlanta.

As to what direction the new story arc will take, Kirkman has a few
hints, but doesnąt want to provide any spoilers.

"We're going to move away from Atlanta and show a little more of the
world of The Walking Dead. Issues 7-12 will feature our little team of
survivors desperately searching for a safe place to live."

The Walking Dead #7 will go on sale on April 7. Click the thumbnails above for preview pages from the issue.

BRIEFLY

Halle Berry will be talking about Catwoman on Friday's episode of the syndicated Extra television series.

Coming Saturday: TV news -- and much more!!!

WBShop.com

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links:

* For Sunday, March 21, including Wizard World Los Angeles coverage, CLICK HERE.

* For Saturday, March 20, including Marvel Comics' solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.

* For Friday, March 19, including Image Comics' solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.

* For Thursday, March 18, including Marvel Comics first looks, CLICK HERE.

* For Wednesday, March 17, including DC Comics first looks, CLICK HERE.

* For Tuesday, March 16, including DC solicitations for June, CLICK HERE.